Cochin Shipyard lays keel for Indian Navy’s first Next Generation Missile Vessel (NGMV)

# What happened Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) held the keel-laying ceremony for the Indian Navy's first Next Generation Missile Vessel (NGMV) on 18 September 2026. This marks the start of physical assembly on the slipway after earlier steel cutting activities. CSL is contracted to design and build six NGMVs under an agreement signed with the Ministry of Defence on 30 March 2023 worth ₹9,804 crore.

# What the NGMV is designed to do The NGMV is a weapon-intensive, high-speed corvette built for maritime strike and anti-surface warfare. Its stated roles include offensive operations against enemy warships and merchant vessels, strike against land targets, sea denial in choke points, local naval defence and seaward defence of offshore infrastructure.

• Propulsion: waterjet-propelled, triple waterjet arrangement per ship, driven by a GE Aerospace LM2500 gas turbine. The turbine contract was signed in October 2024 and will be assembled in India by HAL. Kongsberg Maritime contracted to supply 18 large Kamewa waterjets in April 2026 (three jets per ship).

# Supply chain and Indian industry participation CSL's NGMV programme includes a mix of foreign and indigenous suppliers and local assembly:

• Kongsberg Maritime: contract for Kamewa waterjets (April 2026).
• GE Aerospace LM2500: gas turbine selected (contract Oct 2024), to be assembled in India by HAL.

CSL is already known for building India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, and is producing eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC). The NGMV contract is CSL's first major programme for a weapon-intensive surface combatant.

# Timeline and next steps Steel cutting for the lead ship began earlier (December 2024). With the keel laid in September 2026, CSL is progressing toward the lead ship's delivery window, which has been indicated as early 2027 in prior programme outlines. The remaining five ships will follow under the same contract schedule.

# Why this matters operationally Navy, offering higher sustained speed, heavier missile payloads and new sensor suites intended for both offensive maritime strike and local defence missions. The design emphasizes fast, sea-denial operations especially in constrained maritime choke points.